Governor Robert Bentley announced Thursday he has filed a lawsuit against the federal government alleging authorities violated the Refugee Act of 1980. WBHM’s Esther Ciammachilli attended a press conference where Bentley talked about the suit.
Why is Governor Bentley Suing The Federal Government?
“Governor Bentley says he’s concerned about the existence of Syrian refugees in Alabama,” said Ciammachilli. Following Bentley’s executive order in November that forbids state agencies from accepting Syrian refugees, he wrote three letters to the White House demanding to know if the federal government had relocated any Syrian refugees to Alabama. If they have, Bentley says he wants information on these refugees.
According to the Refugee Act of 1980, the federal government is required to provide information to any states that will be accepting refugees.
“Since Bentley’s letters went unanswered, he says there’s no way of knowing if there are in fact any Syrian refugees in Alabama,” Ciammachilli said. “He feels the federal government, specifically the Obama Administration, the State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, have violated the Refugee Act.”
Not The First Governor to Sue Over Refugees
Bentley’s actions aren’t unprecedented. Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott filed a similar lawsuit claiming he wasn’t adequately consulted on the relocation of six Syrian refugees in his state. The federal government said they did communicate. Following that response, Texas withdrew its request that temporarily barred refugee relocation.
Ciammachilli says these lawsuits have some similarities.
“Both governors feel they did not receive adequate communication, or any communication in Bentley’s case, regarding the relocation of these refugees,” said Ciammachilli. “However, they’re different because the federal government said they did contact Texas, whereas Alabama allegedly received no such correspondence.”
What’s Next?
Ciammachilli says the U.S. State Department has the last word when it comes to the relocation of any refugees, including those from Syria. “However they are required to communicate with state governments about this process as per the Refugee Act of 1980,” said Ciammachilli.